Head of Colleague Relations

Job summary

Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. Since 1989, we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and repayment services.

Our Values

Culture is at the heart of everything we do at SLC and we are guided by our five values which help make SLC a great place to work:

• Honesty: We act with integrity and transparency, sharing information openly and addressing challenges with courage.

• Empowerment: We enable people to take initiative, make impactful decisions, and continuously learn and grow.

• Accountability: We deliver on commitments, own our successes and mistakes, and strive for quality outcomes.

• Respect: We value diverse perspectives, actively listen, and create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.

• Trust: We collaborate across teams, build dependable relationships, and work as one to deliver for our customers.

These values are more than words—they guide our decisions, shape our collaborations, and strengthen our impact on the students we serve.

Job description

This newly created role will lead SLC’s Colleague Relations function, setting strategic direction and guiding a 15‑strong team to deliver consistent, high‑quality advisory, partnering, and policy support across the organisation. You will shape how SLC navigates complex employee relations, organisational change, and workforce risk, ensuring decisions are fair, legally compliant, and aligned with our values.

Working closely with senior leaders, you will influence organisation design, workforce planning, and cultural initiatives, while steering enterprise‑wide projects that modernise processes and enhance colleague experience. Through data‑driven insight and preventative action, you will strengthen colleague engagement and operational outcomes, building a high‑performing, collaborative team environment with clear priorities and accountability.

As a senior leader within the People Directorate, you will play a key role in driving SLC’s People evolution – helping us to step into the future of a modern, strategic and digitally enabled Directorate.

Person specification

• Deep expertise across core HR disciplines including people policy, strategic partnering, and advisory services, with a clear track record of improving business performance and colleague experience
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation, case law, and best‑practice application, including experience managing complex ER issues up to Employment Tribunal level
• Strong judgement and decision‑making capability, with the ability to balance legal risk, organisational values, and practical business needs
• Evidence of driving continuous improvement and modernisation across people processes, systems, or services
• Strong capability in analysing complex people data, case trends, and workforce insights to inform strategic recommendations and/or preventative interventions for different audiences
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing board‑level papers, presenting complex issues, and influencing diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to apply a pragmatic, solutions‑focused approach to complex people challenges while maintaining fairness, consistency, and organisational values
• Proven ability to build and sustain strategic relationships across HR, senior leadership, and external providers to influence outcomes at scale
• Significant experience operating in complex organisations, ideally across both public‑sector environments and large, multi‑stakeholder settings
• Extensive experience leading specialist HR teams, with clear evidence of developing capability, setting strategic direction, and creating a high‑performing, engaged team culture
• Proven experience leading senior‑level discussions and influencing Executive leaders on sensitive, high‑impact people matters
• Experience managing constructive relationships with trade unions, including navigating consultation, negotiation and dispute‑resolution
• Experience shaping and implementing organisation‑wide people strategies, frameworks and policies that support organisational transformation, cultural consistency and workforce resilience
• CIPD or equivalent experience, with a commitment to ongoing professional development
• Deep experience applying HR expertise across multiple people specialisms, including policy, partnering, and colleague relations

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Student Loans Company contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

SLC offer a blended working model which will typically be 2 days in the office and 3 days from home.

You can expect more from a career with SLC. We support colleagues to unlock their potential through our Career Pathways development programme and offer an excellent benefit and rewards package that includes:

• 28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays

• Option to buy/sell annual leave

• Flexi-time and enhanced flexible working options available

• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme

• Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary

• Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity, paternity and adoption

• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, access to the Civil Service Sports and Leisure Club for discounted gym memberships, and an optional dental insurance scheme

• To find out what’s it’s like to work at Student Loans Company click here SLC Careers

The Legal Bits

We’ll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some background checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include employment history, criminal record check, credit reference check and fraud check.

SLC are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive for all candidates and will make reasonable adjustments for those who consider themselves to have a disability or long-term condition in line with the Equality Act 2010. Our application process provides candidates with the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments but if you would like to discuss this in more detail, please email ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please apply via the link.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Talent Acquisition
• Email : ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk in the first instance.